LA Farm - Cary, NC

A bakery inside a Whole Foods, sold out of half their stuff by 11 AM on a weekday. Even if I didn't think they were good, plenty of others do. 

I do think they're good, though, lots of good baked goods. Chocolate croissants are a staple, the cinnamon roll is big and fluffy, with icing on the side so it doesn't get soggy. Strawberry bread is summery-sweet, and I love that densely-moist texture. And then there's Le Crookie, this crazy croissant draped with a layer of cookie dough. The crusty, doughy cookie contrasts the fluffy, chewy croissant, and say what you want, but it's undeniably delicious and fun. It's so good someone cut into one before I could even take a photo. 

Still a lovely bakery, great place to grab some baked goods before heading to a friend's house or to sit for a cuppa and a treat. 

La Free Day at La Farm - Cary

One Thursday, two careerwomen tried to enjoy their day off.

Me: Soooo...what do people do when they don't work?

Bobo: I don't know...Let’s be ladies who lunch?

We ladies lunched at La Farm. It was amazing. A sweet, rustic French country café with all the simple staples and a few fancy favorites, just an hour-long lunch was vacation enough for us. We ordered the things we just couldn’t resist…after we restrained ourselves from sampling the entire menu.

Bobo: Sooo…we’re pretending to be ladies who don’t work, right?

Me: Right.

Bobo: Sooo…are we allowed to eat or are we supposed to be watching our figures?

 

It didn’t matter. My Proscuitto Asparagus Tartine was too good not to eat. The menu description makes it sound like a hot mess, but it ends up more like a masterpiece. The asiago parm bread is moist without being soggy, the proscuitto is a salty savor atop a chewy mess of mozzarella. Olive tapenade adds bang for your buck, artichokes with balsamic drizzle add some sour to the sweet. Creative combinations that balance each bite brilliantly. 

We finished lunch. It didn’t take long.

Me: So now what?

Bobo: I dunno…what do women do when they don’t work?

Puzzled silence.

Lunch was a great start, and we figured out the rest pretty quickly...it only took half an hour of heated discussion...which was a little sad. In the end, mani-pedis and retail therapy were added to the agenda but not before we devoured the sweetest, lighter-than-air Salted Caramel Macarons, possibly the only thing sweeter than a girly day off.